John Dirks Jr

I just wondered what general thoughts were. I like yours Kurt. The chimney I pictured did get written up. []

Here's my recent chimney curl find. 1944 town home. This chimney houses a two flues, one for each town home. At what point does one conclude that something should be done about it? This looked like point work was smeared in on one side only. It was also obvious of some on going leaking either through the open chimney top or the roof penetration flashing. Download Attachment: P1330022.JPG 73.92 KB Download Attachment: P1330023.JPG 102.39 KB Download Attachment: P1330030.JPG 142.81 KB

One way I verify concrete masonry veneer is air bubbles. Get really close. Use a magnifying glass if you have to. You can see the tiny air bubble holes that develop on the edges of the form when they're made. I know I got pictures of em around here somewhere.

That might be a neutral that was added to make what once was a 2 wire with ground 240 dedicated into a 3 wire with ground 120/240. Could you see where it went? I don't understand why it is sheathed in black insulation though. If it were a ground or a neutral, I think it should either be bare or have a white sheathing. I'd be confused looking at that too.

That worked too. http://www.google.com/search?q=Wall+box ... 66&bih=588

Bingo! Thanks Chad.

I'm looking for a picture of the depth adapters for switch and receptacle boxes. I've been searching the web but my terminology may not be good enough to find the examples I want. What is the official name for these adapter rings? Can anyone help me find a link that shows pictures of them? Thanks

I originally had the thought that the ductwork would have to be metal at the fireblocking to work. But it would need to be metal for the entire run, right? If it caught on fire two feet below the fireblocking it would shoot up through the metal duct and out the next section of flex[:-bigeyes Yeah, I dunno. Fire has to have something to burn. How does it go up through a metal duct if there's nothing inside the duct for it to burn? Come to think of it, I've never seen it climb up the inside of a metal stove unless there was fuel up higher for it to burn - like creosote in a stack, etc.. I can understand the concern to prevent smoke and fumes from entering the next level, but isn't fire going to set at the bottom of that duct and shake its fist in frustration at the other end of that duct? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike I'm no expert on fire by any measure but I've heard that the fumes given of by fire are themselves flammable. Also, if a fire is starving for air, could the duct be the supply and coax the flames up through it? I don't know, maybe physics wont allow this. Just pondering.....

Pesticide application perhaps?

I filled to about 3 or 4 inches. No automatic activation at that level.

Don't forget to drain the tubs between loads. Yeah, that was the main discussion. [^]

I've not seen a pump like this before. Obviously there is no holding tank. It had a 3/4" copper discharge line that went up the wall to a PVC drain pipe. There was a manual switch and I saw no means of automatic activation. I guess you just flip the switch to empty the basin after the washing machine shuts off. It sucked the water out pretty fast. Have any of you seen this type before? Comments? Click to Enlarge 27.05 KB

Use the model number of the units and track down a manufacturer installation manual. Look for the information in there.

Thats good. I like that.

Wait...that one is the two section model.

$250 more? Here it is on Amazon for $388. http://www.amazon.com/Werner-D6228-2-30 ... B00004RKB6 While we're on ladder deals, here's another. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe ... B0000VYDHU

Some houses can be tricky to mitigate depending on various things. Some of them are structure layout and ability of the medium/substrate beneath the slabs to communicate effectively towards the suction point. When situations are questionable, a good mitigation contractor will do diagnostic testing of the proposed plan prior to beginning the installation. The goal is to see how well the sub slab materials can communicate towards the planned suction point. Sometimes the results of the diagnostics require more than one suction point. In some cases it takes months before the mitigation efforts reach their maximum ability. This is because the vacuum in the sub slab also pulls moisture out. As it pulls moisture out of the medium over time, the ability for air to pass through increases and the mitigation results gradually improve. Make sure the contractor has a written contract that includes language guaranteeing to reduce the radon levels to at least below the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L. That way, hopefully their on the hook to solve the problem - whatever it takes. You can check your state at this link to find NEHA-NRPP certified professionals. http://neha-nrpp.org/radon_mitigation_service.shtml

Abandoned conductors can terminate in the panel board enclosure. They can terminate under a wire nut. So, wires in a panel board do not always terminate under a screw. Once again, I do not disagree that the single conductor can become overloaded as Bob pointed out. I'm simply questioning the terminology of calling the condition a "shared neutral". What if there were only two neutral conductors coming together and using a single to attach to the panel termination point? What if each of those conductors was from a different phase? In that case, there would not be potential for the single to be overloaded. However, the arrangement would still be wrong as an incorrect termination issue. It would not be an allowed "shared neutral" arrangement. The reason is, its not a "shared neutral" to begin with. The arrangement can be called out on either or both of the potential problems discussed here. The problems caused by incorrect termination can be further explained in the document I linked. If documentation can be provided that calling that arrangement a "shared neutral" is correct, please do so.

The fact that you cannot effectively isolate those neutrals individually is a termination problem as indicated in the article I linked. I understand that the load in the single conductor can be greater than its intended to handle. However, all "shared neutral" language in code that I'm aware of is with regard to multi wired circuits. If you can show me otherwise, please do.

Wires in a panel board always terminate (end) under a screw, either at at a breaker (non grounded conductor) or at the neutral or ground buss. The article referenced deals strictly with termination. The neutrals in the OP do not terminate at the wire nuts. They terminate through the short single conductor that is attached to the neutral buss. They share this conductor. Whether it is for 6 inches in the panel or 12 feet from a remote junction box, it is a shared neutral. Those individual neutrals do terminate. They terminate at the wire nut instead of under a terminal screw as they should.

I think the allowed sharing of neutrals is intended to apply to multi wired branch circuits. The arrangement listed by Jeff is not directly related to the allowance for shared neutrals as written in codes. However, I do agree that the implication of overloading the single terminated conductor is the same. I think the arrangement listed by Jeff is more directly applicable to the termination of neutrals, not the sharing of neutrals. The following document describes further. http://home.comcast.net/~marylandhomein ... rounds.pdf

From 2012 IRC regarding drainage vent termination clearances. P3103.5 Location of vent terminal. An open vent terminal from a drainage system shall not be located less than 4 feet (1219 mm) directly beneath any door, openable window, or other air intake opening of the building or of an adjacent building, nor shall any such vent terminal be within 10 feet (3048 mm) horizontally of such an opening unless it is not less than 3 feet (914 mm) above the top of such opening.

Any windows on that wall where the 3.5" vent terminates under the eave?

That's standard required clearances for direct vent vent pipe, but I'm not sure it's the same requirement at the vent termination. John- See figure 6.2 for those listed clearances. For some reason I was thinking about interior pipe runs for those dimensions. My answer was right there in the manual and I missed it. Thanks for setting me straight.

Thanks Bill. Btw, where can I reference this information?